On September 14th Brian Cowen was interviewed on one of Ireland's most popular morning radio shows, "Morning Ireland". His voice was gravelly and nasal and he fluffed names and seems out of sorts. Politicians and public alike thought that he might have been drunk.

He later admitted that he had been out and drinking the night before but that he was sober during the interview. However, he did admit that he had drunk several pints of beer the night before and had only had five and a half hours sleep.

Seeing prime ammunition Jay Leno, on his internationally syndicated NBC "Tonight Show", created a game during the stand-up slot of the show. The game was called "Bartender, Politician or Comic?" He showed a photo (see above) of Cowen and asked the audience to guess his profession.

He ended the sketch by saying "So nice to know we're not the only country with drunk morons."

The show was originally aired on September 22. It is now available on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRZvERI5nf8).

The Prime Minister's behaviour during the interview on September 14 brought major international interest. The BBC ran the story with the headline “Irish premier denies being hungover during interview”. The New York Times website linked to an Associated Press report with the headline, “Irish premier denies being drunk, hung over on air”.The Fox News website featured the headline: “Ireland’s embattled prime minister denies being drunk, hung over; opposition demands election.”

Mr Cowen has since apologised for his performance and stated he he had the full support of the party amid speculation over his leadership.